Bob Hayes

Track and Field Athlete

• Born: December 20, 1942
• Birthplace: Jacksonville, Florida
• Died: September 18, 2002
• Place of death: Jacksonville, Florida

Sport: Track and field (sprints)

Early Life

Robert “Bob” Lee Hayes was born in Jacksonville, Florida, on December 20, 1942. Bob said that his mother, Mary Hayes, considered him a lazy boy. He took a long time to learn to walk as a baby. Bob got along well with his elder brother Ernest, who dreamed of becoming a professional boxer. Bob’s first exposure to athletics was accompanying Ernest on road runs to build up leg strength and stamina. At Matthew W. Gilbert High School in Jacksonville, Bob found his athletic outlet. He joined the football team and found that his powerful physique and blazing speed made him an exceptional performer.

The Road to Excellence

Soon, the speed Bob demonstrated on the football field attracted the attention of the high school track team. Bob recalls a challenge race—the winner was to receive a nickel—in which he beat the track team’s top sprinter by five yards. Head track coach Bill Cannon knew he had a remarkable talent when he first watched Bob in action. Cannon was convinced that, on a good track and in ideal conditions, Bob could run a 9.5-second 100-yard dash. Bob performed nearly as well in the 220 yards and was a fearsome anchor runner in the 440-yard relay team. His best high school time was 9.6 seconds for the 100 yards. Jake Gaither, the head football coach at Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Florida A&M), in Tallahassee, Florida, vigorously recruited Bob. After graduating from high school in the summer of 1960, Bob enrolled at Florida A&M.

The Emerging Champion

Bob was the star halfback for the Rattlers and eventually led the team in rushing yards, pass receptions, and touchdowns. Despite the fact that football was Bob’s favorite athletic pursuit, it was in sprinting that he displayed his championship ability. In June, 1961, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Bob equaled the world record for the 100 yards with a time of 9.3 seconds.

In 1963, Bob enjoyed an even more successful year with two world records. Indoors he ran the 70 yards in 6.9 seconds, and outdoors he clocked an amazing 9.1 seconds for the 100 yards. In some circles, he was dubbed “The World’s Fastest Human.” A year later, in 1964, Bob set another world record with a time of 5.9 seconds for the 60-yard indoor dash. Sports Illustrated writer John Underwood, in a May 18, 1964, profile of Bob, captured the unique running style of an athlete who, though well built, could fly over the ground: “Hayes does not run a race so much as he appears to beat it to death … the wonder then is not the completion of the trip so much as the speed of it.”

At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Japan, Bob was the favorite. Still, favorites, especially in the dash, had been upset before. Four years previously at the Rome Olympics, Ray Norton of the United States was expected to take the gold and instead finished last in the 100 meters. With Bob, however, his triumph was spectacular. He ran in 10.00 seconds to equal the world and Olympic record. His winning margin of two meters was the greatest in the Olympic history of the event. Bob’s greatest moment may have been six days later, when he ran a magical anchor leg for the U.S. 4 100-meter relay team. He received the baton in fifth place, three meters behind the leader, and at the finish line was the winner by three meters. In that one performance, Bob may have run faster than any human being before or since. One watch had him clocked at 8.9 seconds for his 100-meter leg.

Continuing the Story

On December 8, 1964, Dallas Cowboys general manager Tex Schramm signed Bob to a two-year contract. There were those who felt that Bob would not make it in the National Football League (NFL). Other great track runners—for example, Ray Norton and Frank Budd—had tried and failed. What was ignored was the fact that Bob’s first love was football and that he had been a star football player in high school.

Early in 1965, Bob played poorly. He repeatedly fumbled the ball. Nevertheless, he worked and practiced for hours at a time until he was the major offensive weapon for the Dallas Cowboys. His statistics for his rookie season silenced the critics who had talked of Bob’s blazing feet and buttery hands. Bob, in fourteen games, caught 46 passes for more than 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. After more than a decade of success as a Cowboy, Bob retired from football. His subsequent career hit rock bottom, however, when he pleaded guilty to selling cocaine. He died of kidney failure in 2002. Two years later, he narrowly missed election to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Summary

At the 1964 Olympics, Bob Hayes rocketed to two gold medals and subsequently achieved star status as a receiver for the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the tragedy of his conviction for drug trafficking and a jail sentence, his athletic feats were remarkable. Many friends from his athletic past rallied around him, hoping to assist Bob in reestablishing his life. Arthur Ashe, the former Wimbledon champion, noted in his A Hard Road to Glory (1988) that Bob was “filled with remorse for his deed.”

Bibliography

Carroll, Bob. Total Football: The Official Encyclopedia of the National Football League. New York: HarperCollins, 1999.

Hayes, Bob, and Robert Pack. Run, Bullet, Run: The Rise, Fall, and Recovery of Bob Hayes. New York: Harper & Row, 1990.

Wallechinsky, David, and Jaime Loucky. The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2008 Edition. London: Aurum Press, 2008.